The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry said the Bossier Animal Control Shelter on Old Shed Road in Bossier City has opened and will only shelter pets whose owners have critical transportation needs.
LDAF animal health officials said the shelter has the potential to house up to 400 pets if necessary but is reserved for pets whose owners could not evacuate on their own
Reports claiming the Bossier Animal Control Shelter is being used as anything but a shelter for pets with critical transportation needs are false.
For the latest information on Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, visit emergency.louisiana.gov or call the state's emergency hotline at 1-866-288-2484 to listen to a recorded message with the most up-to-date information.
Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration officials have reported that Terrebonne Parish officials are monitoring levee overtopping of parish levees in the town of Chauvin in south Terrebonne Parish as of 10:45 a.m. Friday.
Floods
Louisiana Dept. of Transportation and Development officials are also reporting that sections of La. Hwy 82 in Cameron Parish have been closed due to flooding.
Levee and flood conditions will be closely monitored by the Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration throughout the approach and landfall of Hurricane Ike.
Conditions will be reported as they are obtained.
For the latest information on Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, visit emergency.louisiana.gov or call the state's emergency hotline at 1-866-288-2484 to listen to a recorded message with the most up-to-date information
Unemployment
Seven additional parishes have been made eligible for federal disaster assistance as a result of Hurricane Gustav. People whose jobs have been lost or interrupted because of the disaster in Calcasieu, Catahoula, Franklin, Grant, LaSalle, St. Helena and Washington parishes are eligible to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA), the Louisiana Workforce Commission announced today.
People eligible in these seven parishes must file DUA applications within 30 days of this announcement. The deadline to file is Oct 13, 2008. Applications submitted later may be denied.
These seven parishes are in addition to the 36 previously declared parishes of Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Vernon, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana.
The deadline for filing for these 36 parishes is Oct. 6, 2008.
Those filing new claims should call 1-866-259-6345 or 1-800-957-1605. The call center will operate from 6 a.m. - 10 p.m., seven days a week until further notice.
For those wishing to file continued claims for weekly benefits, LWC officials recommend they call any of the Easy Call numbers or submit their requests via the Web at www.laworks.net.
People who have issues with their claims should call the commission's usual toll-free line, 1-866-783-5567, to have them resolved.
The best way to file claims continues to be the LWC Web site at www.laworks.net.
To receive DUA benefits, individuals must provide their social security number, proof of wages, and proof of employment, including the name and address of the last employer. Proof of employment must be received within 21 days from the filing date of the claim. Self-employed individuals must provide their business and financial records, including federal income tax returns for 2007.
DUA is available to individuals for weeks of unemployment beginning Sept. 7, 2008, through March 7, 2009, as long as the claimant's unemployment continues to be a result of Hurricane Gustav. DUA benefits will not be paid for any period of unemployment before or after these dates.
DUA provides benefits to individuals whose employment or self-employment has been lost or interrupted as a direct result of a major disaster. Before an individual can be determined eligible for DUA, it must be established that the individual is not eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits (under any state or federal law).
DUA is available to unemployed U.S nationals and qualified aliens who worked or were self-employed if they:
Worked or were self employed in or were scheduled to begin work or self employment in an area declared as a federal disaster area.
Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of a disaster.
Establish that the work or self employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income.
Do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits from any state.
Cannot perform work or self employment because of an injury or because they were incapacitated as a direct result of the disaster.
Became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the head of the household.
Cannot work or perform self employment due to closure of a facility by the federal government.
Lose a majority of income or revenue because the employer or self-employed business was damaged, destroyed, or closed by the federal government. Suffering a monetary loss due to damage of property or crops does not automatically entitle an individual to Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
Floods
Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration officials and officials from levee districts across Southeast and Central Louisiana have reported widespread flooding of coastal communities outside federal levee protection systems as of 10:00 a.m. Friday, Sept. 12.
Flooding has been reported in the flowing communities/areas (listed by parishes east to west):
St. Bernard Parish: widespread flooding has been reported in communities outside the New Orleans Area Hurricane Protection System: ShellBeach, Yscloskey, AlluvialCity, Delacroix and Hopedale.
Plaquemines Parish: Contractors are adding sandbags to levees in the Caernarvon and Braithewaite areas to prevent levee overtopping from threatening the communities of Braithewaite, Scarsdale and White Ditch. The diversion siphon at Caernarvon that ordinarily directs water from the Mississippi Ri! ver into marshes in St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parish has been opened to allow storm surges to flow from the marsh into the River. Officials are closely monitoring both storm surge levels and river levels.
Orleans Parish: Parish levee officials have closed the floodgates on both Hwy. 11 and Hwy. 90. Levee officials are reporting water level rises in Lake Pontchartrain and the InnerHarborNavigationCanal. Floodgates have also been closed on the London Ave. and 17th Street Canal. No significant flooding is expected in Orleans Parish.
Jefferson Parish: The town of Lafitte has reported flooding. The Pontchartrain Levee District is sending sandbags to Lafitte to help protect critical areas. Grand Isle has reported significant storm surge flooding covering the island. Water levels may exceed those experienced during Hurricane Gustav on Sept. 1. Storm surge flooding began Thursday, Sept. 11.
Floodgates hav! e been closed throughout Jefferson Parish including the ones on Compan y Canal and the HarveyCanal.
Lafourche Parish: Flooding of La. Hwy 1 has been reported between Port Fourchon and Grand Isle. Officials are closely monitoring storm surge levels. The floodgate on Bayou Lafourche at Golden Meadow has been closed since Wednesday, Sept. 10.
Terrebonne Parish: Levee overtopping of parish levees and flooding has been reported in the towns of Isle de Jean Charles, Montegut, Pointe Aux Chenes, Cocodrie and Dulac. Flooding conditions are being closely monitored by parish and state officials.
St. Mary Parish: Levee overtopping of a parish levee has been reported near the town of Gordy in lower St. Mary Parish. Flooding will be closely monitored throughout lower St. Mary throughout the day Friday and Saturday.
Storm surge levels are forecast to increase in coastal areas in western Louisiana throughout the day Friday and through Saturday. State and loc! al officials are closely monitoring flood conditions due to Hurricane Ike with available resources dedicated as needed.
Updates on coastal flooding throughout Louisiana will be provided as they are obtained.
Levee Breech
State and Plaquemines Parish Levee officials are reporting a levee breech of a parish levee on the east bank of Plaquemines Parish near the towns of Caernarvon, Scarsdale, White Ditch and Braithewaite.
The breech has been reported to be approximately six feet wide. The levee is not a federal levee.
Contractors hired by Plaquemines Parish to re-enforce levees in the area are working to close the breech using sand bags and heavy equipment.
Weather conditions will not permit the use of helicopters to drop large sand baskets into the breech.
There have been no reports of home flooding as of 11:45 a.m. Friday, Sept, 12.
More information will be released as it is obtained.
Agriculture
Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., continued his tour of the state's storm-stricken agricultural areas and visited with concerned farmers and other agribusiness leaders on Thursday, Sept. 11, in the Pointe Coupee Parish community of Batchelor.
Strain was there to remind farmers of the Sept. 16 deadline to sign up for the Farm Service Agency crop insurance program, the Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) and to register with FEMA at 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA) for disaster assistance.
At the event, nearly 100 pickup trucks and a saddled horse filled the parking lot of the Pointe Coupee Farmers Co-op on La. Hwy. 1.
Nearby, the ruined storage tower of the Pointe Coupee Farmers Elevator lay crumbled on the ground after Hurricane Gustav. More than 30,000 bushels of harvested corn poured into the street and covered the elevator's loading ramps. The corn is unsalvageable.
Strain told the farmers he was well aware of the crop losses farmers will suffer and advised the gathered agribusiness professionals to stay in contact with their county agents, lenders, insurance agents and grain elevators and to document all of their Hurricane Gustav-related expenses.
"Write it all down," Strain said. "Keep track of everything, how much you bought and how much labor you hired."
Strain also told the group he believed crop insurance plans are deficient and don't offer sufficient coverage.
"Crop insurance costs are too high and the coverage is inadequate," Strain said. "We have to get direct payments in your hands. At the same time, we've got to work together to change the insurance plan."
Strain said he hoped the United States Department of Agriculture would not allow increased imports of sugar.
"I've been in contact with USDA Secretary Ed Schafer," Strain said. "I advised him if any additional foreign sugar is allowed to come in it could hurt us worse than the storm."
Strain ran down a quick disaster checklist for the producers which included the following points:
Take photographs and/or video of damages, including downed fences.
Apply for every program available through the local Farm Service Agency.
If crops must be harvested, leave a 10-foot representative strip in each field to be inspected by an insurance adjuster.
Do not destroy any damaged crops until it has been inspected by an insurance adjuster.
Do not remove stumps from cut down trees until an FSA agent measures the diameter.
Move fallen limbs from the fields but don't dispose until an FSA agent measures the diameter.
Go to the FEMA website for more information: www.fema.gov.
Strain ended the meeting by reiterating that communication lines should remain open between the farmer and his business associates.
"Contact your bankers, creditors, elevators," Strain said. "Contact and talk with them. We have a lot of questions and we're working on getting the answers. If there's anything I can do for you, contact me."
The CastineCenter in St. Tammany Parish will temporarily close its Disaster Food Stamp application site on Saturday. The Center is open today and the application process is moving quickly. The center will reopen at 8 a.m. on Sunday.
Shelters
Today, 12 application centers are open with a total of 658 staff serving applicants. 29 sites have temporarily shut down due to safety concerns with the impact of Hurricane Ike. A total of 131,270 applications have been processed during the first three days. Department of Social Services staff will also process applications in shelters that are reopening for people evacuating in advance of the hurricane.
Below is a list of sites that plan to be open tomorrow:
East Feliciana Parish Early Childhood Learning Center, East Feliciana, 9414 Plank Road, Clinton
East Baton Rouge OFS, EBR, 1919 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge,
CapitolHigh School, EBR, 1000 North 23rd Street, Baton Rouge
St.GabrielCommunity Center, Iberville, 1745 Highway 30, St. Gabriel
West Baton Rouge OFS, WBR, 1622 Court Street, Port Allen
New OrleansConvention Center, 900 Convention Boulevard, New Orleans
Bossier OFS, Bossier, 2123, Shed Road, Bossier City
The USDA Food and Nutrition Services did issue a 7-day extension of the program and DSS will work to ensure that if necessary, sites forced to close because of Ike can make up the days lost to the storm.
State Office
BATON ROUGE -- Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis announced today that because of threats posed by Hurricane Ike, state government offices are closed at 12 noon on Friday, September 12th, in the following parishes:
Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Lafayette, Livingston, St. Charles, St. James, St. John, West Baton Rouge
State government offices remain closed on Friday, September 12th, in the following parishes with voluntary and mandatory evacuations:
Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Vermilion
All agency heads are responsible for determining those essential personnel who should remain on duty.
State employees should monitor and heed media updates regarding mandatory and voluntary evacuations. They should ! also monitor media for updates on office closures as well as announcements of when offices are scheduled to reopen. Those announcements will be made by the Commissioner of Administration. In addition, employees should be aware of the 800 number and the local phone number, which will be updated with information regarding office closures. The numbers to call: 1-800-360-9660 or 225-342-0498
New Orleans Schools
The New OrleansPublicSchool District’s PM High School will not hold classes this evening due to weather conditions related to Hurricane Ike.
Bethune Elementary, Benjamin Franklin Elementary and Mc Main Secondary School are still in session and will dismiss today at their normal times. However, parents who wantg to pick-up their children early, will be able to do so in accordance with normal school dismissal procedures. With the current weather front expected to pass through the City within the next two hours, students and teachers will be encouraged to remain inside the facilities during that time period.
The Orleans Parish School Board Administrative Offices will close today at 3:30pm. School site administrators and support personnel are requested to monitor facilities and advise the Sodexho team leader and NOPS Facilities staff of any problems related to the weather.
Food
In addition to 615,000 meals provided to Louisiana citizens by the American Red Cross, 227,000 by the Salvation Army, and tens of thousands more by faith-based and non-profit groups across the state, Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis announced today that, through Thursday, a state task force delivered 428,000 hot meals in 15 parishes impacted by severe power outages since Hurricane Gustav hit Louisiana on September 1.
With a shortage of Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs) reported in the days after Gustav passed through the state, and in partnership with the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and the Pastors Resource Council, Governor Bobby Jindal created a task force to provide hot meals to people in heavily impacted parishes.
Through Thursday, by contracting with Louisiana restaurants, caterers, and food distributors, the task force had served 428,000 hot me! als at an average cost per meal of $6.53, saving between $372,360 and $629,160 compared to the cost of a comparable number of MREs, whose unit costs range between $7.40 and $8.00.
"While we seek to provide the best service to our citizens after a disaster, it is also important that we take steps to do so in a fiscally responsible manner," said Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis. "When power outages posed a serious threat to the food supply, we mobilized to help our citizens get not only a better meal than an MRE but one that cost less. We are grateful to our faith-based community partners and to the businesses that stepped up and answered the call to provide hundreds of thousands of meals, at short notice, to our fellow citizens in a time of need."
Businesses that participated in the program include: Aramark, BRG Catering LLC/John Besh, Belle Foods, Cajun Kettle, John Folse, Papa Murphy, Piccadilly! , and "We're Cooking."
Parishes in wh ich the state task force provided hot meals: Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafouche, Livingston, Orleans, Pointe Coupee, St. James, St. John, Terrebonne, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana.
With continuing restoration of power, the task force's hot meal program ended yesterday.
Louisiana's universities and the Department of Education also partnered with Sodexo, Inc., Unique Cuisine, Bigeon Catering, and Aramark to provide meals to our citizens.
Levee Breech
State and Plaquemines Parish Levee officials are reporting a levee breech on the east bank of Plaquemines Parish near the town of Scarsdale.
The breech has been reported by Plaquemines Parish officials to be approximately 50 ft wide and five feet deep.
Contractors hired by Plaquemines Parish to re-enforce levees in the area are working to close the breech using sand bags and heavy equipment.
Weather conditions will not permit the use of helicopters to drop large sand baskets into the breech.
More information will be released as it is obtained.
For the latest information on Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, you can visit emergency.louisiana.gov or call the state's emergency hotline at 1-866-288-2484 to listen to a recorded message with the most up-to-da! te information
More Benefit Info:
The Louisiana Workforce Commission today announced that
Business and Career Solutions Centers in Baton Rouge and Houma will be
open tomorrow to allow those impacted by Hurricane Gustav to file
disaster unemployment assistance claims and search for employment.
The offices at 1991 Wooddale Blvd. in Baton Rouge and 807 Barrow St. in
Houma will be open from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 13.
The mobile units that were deployed to heavily impacted areas will not
be operational this weekend as the anticipated high winds from Hurricane
Ike can adversely affect their satellite equipment.
As soon as it is safe to do so, the units will again be deployed to
storm-impacted areas to assist citizens with their employment needs.
Citizens are reminded that those filing new claims can also call
1-866-259-6345 or 1-800-957-1605.The call center will operate from 6
a.m. - 10 p.m., seven days a week until further notice.
For those who have already filed a claim and wish to file for continued
weekly benefits, LWC officials recommend they call any of the Easy Call
numbers or submit their requests via the Web at www.laworks.net.
People who have issues with their claims should call the commission’s
usual toll-free line, 1-866-783-5567, to have them resolved.
The best way to file claims continues to be the LWC Web site at
